Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers held in Thailand as India seeks deportation

India moves to revoke passports and begin deportation; inquiry report expected soon

December 11, 2025

Luthra brothers fled India after a fire at their nightclub in Goa left 25 people dead

Court denies protection, saying accused evading probe; deportation moves faster

Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the brothers linked to the Goa nightclub fire that killed 25 people, have been detained in Thailand, and deportation proceedings are underway, the Hindustan Times reported on Thursday.

This development comes a day after reports suggested that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was considering revoking their passports following a request from the Goa government.

The Luthra brothers, co-owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, reportedly left India shortly after the December 6 fire. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had issued an Interpol Blue Corner notice to trace them.

A Goa Police probe revealed that the brothers booked their flight to Thailand at 1:17 am on December 7—around the same time emergency personnel were battling the blaze and rescuing trapped victims. The tickets were booked via MakeMyTrip, officials said.

Co-accused arrested and brought to Goa

In a parallel development, the police arrested Ajay Gupta, another accused in the case, and brought him to Goa on Thursday. Gupta was granted a 36-hour transit remand by Delhi’s Saket Court on Wednesday.

Earlier, a Delhi court denied interim protection from arrest to the Luthra brothers. Their counsel argued that the brothers were not absconding but travelling for business purposes and maintained that they were not the club’s owners but licensees. They claimed the nightclub’s routine operations were handled by staff, making the brothers not directly liable.

Opposing these claims, the state argued that the brothers were intentionally evading the investigation and were not entitled to relief. The defence told the court the Luthras were willing to return but feared immediate arrest, seeking only limited transit protection to approach the appropriate Goa court.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the inquiry report is expected within eight days. The state has begun disbursing compensation to the victims’ families and has intensified safety audits at entertainment establishments.

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